7 Budget Skin and Hair Care Tips That Don't Cost a Fortune or Take up a Lot of Time ...

If you’re watching what you spend these days, I’ve got some budget skin and hair care tips that will save you money and still keep you looking your best. Skin and hair care products can be so pricey, and though many of them work great, the costs add up fast, and can do a lot of damage to your budget. I used to use high cost skincare, makeup and hair products until I couldn’t afford to. I now say it was a blessing in disguise because I’m saving money and my skin actually looks better now, with certain budget skin and hair care tips I use. These tips are really simple, easy for anyone to do, and work well with most any skin or hair type and budget.

1. Use Coconut Oil

I’m a firm believer this is one of the best budget skin and hair care tips anyone could ever give you. Coconut oil is a miracle product for so many things. I buy a 54 ounce ( gallon) container from Vitacost that is certified organic, extra-virgin, non-GMO, and smells incredible. It only costs $16 and lasts me three-four months. I use it everyday to moisturize my skin with instead of lotion, take off my makeup with, use it on dry ends for my hair, chapped lips, as a natural eye cream that works wonders, dry feet and cuticles, and as a shaving cream. This is the one thing I think every woman should make part of her beauty routine and you’ll smell great in the process! Buy Here:vitacost.com

2. Use Cotton Balls

I like to keep a huge thing of cheap cotton balls in my beauty basket in the bathroom. I use them for everything from removing nail polish, applying foundation with (especially creams), for taking off eye makeup gently, for putting them in between my toes while I paint them, and for using them to dab a makeup blotch or two off my face.

3. Use Vegetable Based Soap

All those yummy smelling body washes and such are nice to have as a luxury, but they’re so costly! Sure a couple dollars here and there doesn’t seem like much, but they don’t last that long, and in my opinion, are a waste of money. Most have a lot of ingredients like chemicals that act as endocrine disruptors that mess with your hormones and even your thyroid. They also have a lot of fragrances and such that might irritate your skin. Instead of spending your money on those body washes, just buy a bar of soap made from vegetable oils. My favorite brand is Nubian Heritage Shea Butter soap, which is handmade soap that costs about $2 and lasts 4 months. It smells incredible and is made of shea butter, coconut oil, and other natural vegetable ingredients. I use it to wash my face with in the shower and it makes it so soft. I also use it as my body soap instead of using body wash. You can find it in drugstores, supermarkets, or online.

4. Use Apple Cider Vinegar

If you have dandruff, or your hair is lacking shine, give apple cider vinegar a try. You should keep some in your house at all times, because it can be used for so, so many things. It happens to be a great product to use on your hair to remove scalp buildup, enhance shine and to remove product buildup. All you need to do is dilute about ¼ cup of apple cider vinegar with 1 cup of water and pour it on your hair before shampooing. It will cleanse your scalp and you won’t have to buy those pricey products that do the same thing.You can also use it as a skin toner,which works great!

5. Get Rid of the Extras

To skim down your beauty budget, get rid of the extras. I know it’s hard to part with those 4 or 5 eye creams, four-five different shades of lipstick, and five different eye shadow palettes, but do you really need all those? Do you also need several different steps of face care like a cleanser, toner, moisturizer,etc.? I’m here to tell you that you don’t. I used to buy all these products and more, but when you can’t buy them, you realize you don’t need them. I do use makeup of course, and nice makeup, which I feel everyone should feel free to do. Yet, I don’t use extra luxury products or have tons of steps in my skin cleansing routine, which contains only soap and coconut oil. After years of acne, I never have it any more and my skin looks more radiant than ever. Get rid of the extra products; I promise you won’t miss them once you get used to not having them.

6. Let Your Hair Dry Naturally

Sure, drying your hair doesn’t cost a lot of money, but what goes along with it might. A straightening cream, serum, hairspray, etc. - all those things add up, even if they seem minimal at the time. Instead, experiment with letting it dry naturally and wash it at night before bed. Then, twist it on top of your head in a bun and in the morning let it down to loose lovely waves, that are soft naturally because they haven’t been heated with a dryer, or had multiple products applied. I do this three times a week and it saves so much money and time, and my hair is actually growing faster with less split ends using this trick too.

7. Make Your Own Leave-in

I love this trick! I use conditioner and dilute it with water and put it in a shaker bottle for homemade leave-in conditioner. Just about ¼ cup of conditioner mixed with 16 ounces of water does the trick. Put this in a shaker bottle, give it a shake before you use it, and you have your own leave in conditioner that works like a charm!

These budget skin and hair care tips aren’t the only ones out there, and you might need to implement one at a time so you don’t feel deprived from your favorite products. If you have a favorite tip to share that might help the rest of us save money on skin and hair care items, please feel free to share it here! What’s your best budget skin and hair care tip?